


The Documentary

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern day high school AU. Saint Maria's Academy is threatened to be shut down due to an alarmingly low application rate and plummeting budget. Erwin Smith is asked by the superintendent to film a year-long documentary featuring staff and students of his choice that properly showcase what Saint Maria's has to offer as an institution, or else it will be shut down. Can sophomore Eren Yeager's homeroom class prove that the school deserves to stand?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> because i love the modern day high school setting and i wanted to try something new. purely for enjoyment, who knows how far i'll get. lots of ships gonna be featured because i love everything.

The camera zooms focus in on Hanji Zoe's spindly fingers around her fluffy purple pen as it scratches down this and that. She laughs melodiously and loudly as the cameraman shoots another question at her, the same question everyone's been asking today.

"What do I think will happen to the school?" She repeats it back to him as if she hasn't heard it eighty-six times today. She pushes her glasses over her head and her smile finally falters as her hands go to her temples. She gives another laugh before looking at the camera again, shrugging.

"I don't know. Ha, hahaha. Yeah at this point…I don't know."

**

A bedroom. Walls painted dusty green, cobwebs in an upper corner. An old Bad Company poster with torn edges barely hangs on over the bed, unmade with mismatched sheets and blankets. There's one pillow without a case and a desk by a window that looks like it hasn't been sat at in months. A boy appears, and the picture blurs slightly as it tries to focus on his face. He adjusts it and sits on the end of the bed--his bed, assuming--and smiles, raises a hand. His eyes are a bright sea-green and he's tan and probably not a day over sixteen.

"Uh--hi, I'm Eren Yeager." He rests his elbows on his knees and chuckles. "Uh. They told me I had to bring this camera home and uh--talk about myself and my friends and stuff. If you're watching this, you probably already know--"

Static interrupts the image and a different boy appears on screen. Taller, leaner, paler than Eren Yeager. His hair is a dirty blonde and his eyes are sharper. His fingers are long and they run across his face as he clears his throat.

"I've never done this before," he admits, avoiding looking into the lens. "It's for school. Well, you, watching--you already know that, this is for the documentary--anyway, I'm Jean Kirschtein. I'm a sophomore--"

"--sophomore at Saint Maria's Academy!" The image changes again, this time a girl is waving, outside in her backyard, presumably, waving enthusiastically. She's holding the camera herself, unsteadily, her brown hair blowing around her face in the wind. "We're filming our every day lives as students as part of a special documentary--"

The screen cuts again to another girl, smaller and quieter than the last, with long blonde hair and round eyes. 

"--a documentary, to showcase the diversity and talent among our student body, in hopes that--"

"--our school can continue to keep its doors open to students and keep our teachers at their desks," a blonde boy says confidently, appearing in the first bedroom that was shown. Eren Yeager appears next to him for a split second and takes the camera, zooming in on his companion's face.

"Yeah! Armin! We're gonna show those bastards what students at Saint Maria's can do!"

"Eren--I don't think you should be saying that on camera--"

"Fuck yeah!"

"Eren, you'll get in trouble for swearing on film--"

**

A teachers' lounge appears on screen. Vending machines, chairs and small tables, a large coffee maker. Nothing's brewing yet. The walls are a muted white and for a few moments, no one comes, until a door on the left side opens and two men stride in. One tall, broad, and blonde, the other very short, black-haired, with heavily lidded eyes, holding a thermos. He takes a seat at a table while the blonde man puts money in the machine. He presses the button and looks around the room, smirking at the cameraman, who zooms in on the name badge on his lapel. Principal Erwin Smith.

"Levi."

The shorter man leans back in his seat. "What."

"Did you notice yet?"

Without moving his head, Levi's eyes dart toward the camera guy. He sighs. "Already."

"I didn't expect them to be put in the lounge."

"Guess we can't fool around in here then, Erwin."

The blonde makes a hard face at him and pops open his soda can. A petite, redheaded woman who could almost pass for a student enters, eyes finding the camera immediately.

"Oh, I didn't know they were setting one up in here!"

"Good morning, Petra." Levi takes a long sip out of his thermos, eyes still wary.

"They aren't putting anything in my office, are they?"

Erwin draws up a seat across from Levi. "There will be no cameras in the guidance office, Miss Ral. Don't worry."

The screen cuts to a close-up on the redhead. Her cheeks are pink and she smiles very warmly. "I'm Petra Ral. I'm the guidance counselor here--at Saint Maria's. Oh, I really love my job! Yeah. So when I heard we were doing this documentary, I got excited. I hope it ends up helping us keep our school open. I couldn't bear to leave--"

The door behind her opens and Levi slides through. "I'd like the coffee ready before the first period bell, Petra."

"Right! Right, yeah, sorry, just a second!" The door closes--not before Levi shoots the camera man a steely glare--and Petra turns back around, pinker in the face. "Um…yeah. I couldn't bear to leave. The school. I'd be heartbroken."

**

Eren Yeager appears again, this time in a classroom. A girl with short black hair and a red scarf around her neck sits in a desk, visible just over his shoulder. He smiles, enthusiastic. 

"This is my sister--sorta--Mikasa! Mikasa, wave," he says, and she obliges, but doesn't smile. She turns a little red and leans forward. "And--this is where we have homeroom. Mikasa sits there, I sit here--" he gestures toward the desk on Mikasa's right side, "--Armin sits behind me, Jean sits by Armin, Connie sits behind Jean, Sasha sits here, you get the idea. Nobody's in here right now since it's free period. We can stay in here if we want, but usually everyone goes to the computer lab, or the library--or if you're Sasha, you sneak out and get Sonic--but Mikasa and I usually hang out in here and copy Armin's homework."

"Eren, I don't think you should be tell--"

Eren turns the camera around and closes in on Mikasa, only her eyes and hair visible as Eren almost yells, "Mikasa! Don't you wanna say anything to our viewers? This documentary is gonna save our school! There's gotta be something you wanna say!"

Cut to Mikasa, sitting up straight and proper, in the back corner of their classroom. She looks worriedly at the cameraman and sighs. "I don't know what's going to happen to our school. A month ago, they told us that Saint Maria's was losing too much money, and that less than a hundred new students were planning on enrolling in fall. And then the principal tells us that we're chosen to make this film, to change the superintendent's mind."

Mikasa's gaze falls to her lap. "Eren would be crushed if we had to leave this school. So I'll do all that I can to make sure he doesn't have to."

**

The camera follows Levi down an empty hallway, carrying his thermos and a black binder. His shoes clack past an unruly-haired janitor, mopping up a few feet away from his classroom. 

"Can we go one day without some shitty brat spilling their Starbucks in front of my room?"

The janitor smirks and shakes his head. "At least you're not cleaning it, Levi."

"Thank you, Auruo." Levi twists the knob to his door. "Which one was it today, the Blouse girl?"

"Surprisingly not," Auruo answered, straightening up. "It was her friend, uh, the little blonde one?"

"Renz? I'll have a talk with her after French. Make sure you get the wall, Auruo."

Close-up on the janitor. "Auruo Bossard. I've been cleaning this damn building for two years."

His voice is heard as he's shown taking out the trash, sweeping the cafeteria--and shaking hands with some of the students. High-fiving them. Sitting by them outside on the bleachers.

"It's not so bad, though. Once you get past the shit part. Yeah, kids leave their garbage everywhere, they spill coffee that they're not supposed to be bringing to class--but you get to see them do things like pay for each other's lunch, talk to teachers with respect. It's the little things. I see a lot of the kids that some of the staff doesn't get to see. My job is--special, I guess."

Cut to Levi in his office chair. It's a small office space, connected to his classroom by a window pane and a door. His desk is tidy and organized, his bookshelf is labeled and lined in alphabetical order. 

"I teach French and Advanced English," he says reluctantly, straightening the cravat around his neck. "I would assume I'm good at my job, considering I've had it for five years. Would I want to leave it? No. Even the shittiest brats can still grow. If I can have a hand in that--I'd be proud."

**

A brief moment of static brings focus to a woman with brown hair in a full ponytail and thick glasses. She whirls around at her desk and her eyes are bright as she shuffles papers and laughs with a few students standing in front of her. She hands each of them some papers and her voice is then heard: "Saint Maria's has been my home for five years. I didn't plan on becoming a high school teacher, actually! I have a PhD in Biology--I was going to do--well, something different, not this--should I be sharing this information? I'm not sure that's appropriate for this documentary! Anyway! I love my job, I love my students--I love sharing my knowledge of the world with fresh young minds and doing what I can to help them begin their journeys!"

Close up on Hanji Zoe. She adjusts her glasses, wiping a few tears from her eyes. "So--I hope--all of that comes across in this project. Not just in my case! But that everyone's passion for Saint Maria's is apparent! We all love it. In different ways, but we love it. And it should have the right to stay standing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kudos :) i hope you're enjoying~

The blonde girl with big, blue eyes appears, waving from a gazebo. There's a timestamp at the bottom left corner of the screen: SEPT 2 12:47PM. Someone else is holding the camera, panning from the blonde to the flowers and potted plants in sloppy in-and-out shots. Ferns to gardenias, honeysuckles to golden hair. The curve of a fair, spotless cheek to sunflowers, tall and bright. The sun sends beams that make her squint awkwardly and whoever's filming is laughing--another girl--as the blonde bounds toward the lens, sticking her tongue out and making faces.

"I hope they use this footage, Christa."

"Wait, you're recording?"

She turns the camera around in her hands so her dark, freckled face is in close focus. "Yeah, I didn't borrow it so I could _look_ at it--"

"Ymir _no_ don't, give it to me!"

Ymir laughs and starts running, holding the camera so that both girls are in view, lens-flare glaring as the ground is blurred green. She comes to a sudden stop and the camera drops, tilted, and only their lower bodies are in view, tangled safely away from the flowers.

"You're not supposed to take videos of just anything!"

"I'm not, I'm taking videos of _you_!"

"But why?"

There's a loud buzz, followed by a frozen, discolored frame of the sunflowers, then a cut to Ymir again, in black and white, sitting alone in the gazebo. She's talking to the camera, but the sound is completely cut out. She looks content, mouth moving rapidly. She pulls the petals from a daisy and reaches to shut the recorder off, grinning.

**

"…ing to you today, Millius. I'll see you when you check back next, okay?"

The boy nods at Petra with a smile and quickly exits her office, Levi's eyes narrowly following his back until the door shuts behind him. Petra moves to the main area of the lounge and presses a button on the coffee maker, winking at the videographer.

"Millius Zermusky crying in class again?" 

Petra takes his thermos from him and sighs. "It's his first break-up. He's taking it really hard--missing days, irregular sleeping, feeling ignored by his friends, his parents…poor thing is going through a lot." There's a beep, and then Petra fills the tumbler. 

"Tch." She hands fresh coffee to him and he nods at her, taking a long sip. "You should tell him love is dead."

Petra scoffs. "Oh, Levi--"

"Save him some years of agony. I don't understand why kids are so caught up in romance at this age anyway…such a waste."

"Dating at this age helps them prepare for future--adult relationships," she says positively, glancing at the camera. "Come on, you know how impossible it is going out with someone in their 20s who'd never been with _anyone_."

Levi cocks his eyebrows. "You have a point."

"Better for them to experience heartbreak now, so it's easier to deal with when you're older."

"Does it really get easier?" Levi's voice drops to a hum and she shifts in her seat, blinking curiously at him. She chortles.

"I…I'll let you know."

He opens his mouth slightly, probably to ask what she means, but she gets up and swiftly returns to her office. Cut to a close-up on Levi. Timestamp: OCT 11 7:15AM.

"No." He blinks, once, very slowly, impatient and cross. "Do I look married? None of us are married. Well, no, Erd is engaged actually…But. No. I'm not."

**

Timestamp: SEPT 7 12:29PM. The bell ending lunch rings. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa throw their trash away and start down the west hallway when Erwin's voice comes on over the intercom: "Good afternoon, students. It is now 12:30PM; free period starts now. Just a quick announcement--it's come to my attention that some students have been leaving campus during free hour. Please do not, under any circumstances, leave school grounds at any time during your school day before dismissal, unless you have a note from a parent, guardian, or doctor. Disregard for this rule will result in loss of your free period privileges. That is all."

"No more burgers in Biology, I guess," Eren snickers. Armin inhales sharply and picks up his pace. "Hey, where you headed?"

"To the library!"

"But weren't we--?"

The blonde boy is already almost at the end of the hallway. "Sorry! I'll catch up with you after school!"

"Eren," Mikasa says lowly, "we should find Annie. That Microsoft Excel project is due tomorrow."

Eren groans. They turn the corner to their lockers (theirs are right next to each other). "Yeah I guess. Do you know where she'd be though? I never see her during free period."

Two boys pass by the lockers, waving and nodding at Eren and the focus swings. They walk close to each other and talk in hushed voices, glancing over their shoulders at the camera man. The timestamp changes to SEPT 3 2:50PM, and the shorter, broader of the two laughs and crosses his arms, leaning up against the lockers. His dark-haired, long-nosed friend takes a seat on the bench in front of him, patting his forehead with a small towel.

"I'm Reiner Braun, and this is Bertolt Hoover."

Bertolt fiddles with his towel. "We've been on the football team since the start of freshman year, yeah. We're not the best--we've won maybe…three or four games this year. But--"

"But we love our school," Reiner butts in, suddenly stony faced. "Coach Pixis is great. Our team is good, but...Saint Maria's has just been…unlucky."

** 

"Annie Leonhart?"

Armin takes off rectangular reading glasses and pushes his laptop aside, biting at his bottom lip. "I don't know, I--she disappears this time of day. We have art history together at 1:45, but yeah, I don't normally see her before that, other than in homeroom."

He looks apprehensively at the camera man and shakes his head, eyes wide and anxious. "No, no, she's just a little distant, and doesn't talk much--but she's actually a very kind person! I was sick for about a week last year, and she came to my house every day, and brought me the homework I missed…"

The lines around his eyes soften, and he fixates himself on his laptop screen, tapping the desk lightly with his pencil. "She has this strange tendency to always be there when I'm having a rough day. She lets me talk about stuff with her, and she listens, and she does her best to help me. Annie's great. She's a good person to me. I like Annie."

A girl who is, presumably, Annie Leonhart is seen walking across the parking lot, flicking a cigarette to the ground and crushing it with her heel. She pulls the hood of her sweatshirt down, revealing a sharp jaw and prominent nose and bold, alluring eyes. Timestamp: SEPT 7 1:07PM. She notices the camera and huffs.

"Not usually. I guess I'm gonna have to save it for after school now, since Erwin decided to remember our school rules." Annie rolls up her sleeves, platinum hair falling in her eyes. It's windy and she's tiny up against the wide double-doors to the gymnasium. "I could just go back to sitting in the library. I don't have to talk in there."

**

"Would I--like to be married?" 

Timestamp: OCT 11 7:18AM. Petra almost drops a stack of documents and scrambles to find something to lean on. She tucks her hair behind an ear and stammers. "I mean--well, of course, who doesn't want to be married? Well, some people don't, of course--and that's okay!--but no, I…I would like to be married, I just--"

**

The conference room is locked. The picture zooms in on the sign on the window: "Meeting in Progress, Do Not Disturb." The videographer taps on the door with his knuckles and a familiar brunette in a ponytail opens it up.

"Hi! Are you here to film the Homecoming Planning?"

Jean Kirschtein makes a hissing noise at her and she hops back to the table. Spreadsheets, calculators, and a few binders are laid out. Hanji oversees as the small group of students go back to discussing and takes down notes.

"So at this rate," a girl in dark pigtails--Mina Carolina, also a sophomore--pipes up, "it looks like we have to choose. Either we rent a venue and have the dance somewhere nice--but without catering, or we hold it here in the gym--which is significantly less glamourous--"

"--but we can get food!"

"Yes, Sasha, that's the gist of it," Jean breathes, exasperated. 

"Well that's easy, I vote food!"

"I think I vote it to hold it here too," a sweet-faced, freckled boy--Marco Bott--chimes in, shrugging. "I don't mind the dance being in the gym. It's just homecoming."

"Yeah, it's not like we ever win any games," Sasha blurts out absently, earning a groan from Reiner. Bertolt puts a hand on his shoulder. "Ain't a big deal."

"I don't personally mind," Armin agrees, "but will the rest of the students be disappointed? Homecoming is usually held at a hotel, or some other venue…"

"Oh, not always!" Hanji floats over to the table and rests her elbows on it. "Before your class came in, actually, we had quite a few Homecoming dances right in the gym. Actually, in my first year of teaching, we even held prom here!"

Mina and Christa exchange horrified stares; Armin laughs hollowly.

"Also, you should consider--what do you think your peers will care more about, a fancy dance floor or free refreshments?"

Armin arches an eyebrow at Jean, who with a grunt, signs a form and passes it to Hanji. "Fine, fine."

"The Spring Formal is what really matters anyway," Mina says brightly, looking around the room apprehensively. "As long as we can get a venue for that one--I don't think anyone will mind having one dance in the gym."

"Let's make sure Homecoming comes together nicely before thinking about the Formal!" Hanji spits, giggling nervously like she has a secret. The students flip their folders closed and push in their chairs and the camera follows them as most of them make their exit, but Armin hangs behind, striding up to Hanji. She's barely in view as the boy tousles his hair and swings his backpack on.

"Hanji…do you think we'll have enough of a budget to even have Spring Formal?"

She pinches the bridge of her nose and shoos the cameraman out the door, but through the window, Hanji's mouth moves rapidly and Armin slumps his shoulders.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suddenly i'm very nostalgic for high school and getting ready for homecoming and making fun of the nerds my friends took as dates.

"I really hope this works."

The boy with buzzed hair sets up napkins and takes out a 2-liter of soda and continues bustling around his home kitchen, muttering something like "Sharpie, Sharpie, where the hell is the Sharpie" as the picture is steadily focused on the table, a large pizza box in the center of it. There's a giant pink ribbon stuck on the corner, with a pink strip of construction paper taped on top that has "Sasha" written on it. The doorbell rings and Connie Springer swears under his breath, uncapping a black marker. He quickly opens the pizza box and scribbles something down on its underside and rushes offscreen. Loud laughter pinches the static air and Sasha Blouse appears next to the table in a cute pink cardigan, bag of Doritos in hand. 

"Oooh! We're having pizza?!"

Connie winks confidently at the camera and tells her, "Special pizza."

"Special pizza?" Sasha makes to open it, but Connie whacks her hand. 

" _Wait_ \--wait, okay, so, you gotta answer me before you eat it, okay?"

"Answer what?"

"Just look--look in the box, Sasha."

"It's not your dick in the box, is it?"

Connie buries his face in his hands. "Sasha, quit making jokes--"

Sasha doubles over in giggles and opens the box, delighted at the pineapple and sausage pizza but gasps upon reading the note. Connie takes the camera and zooms in: Sasha--will you go to Homecoming with me, or is this too cheesy?"

Squeaking, she looks in the lens, starry-eyed, hands covering her cheeks. "Connie….!"

"So? You wanna?"

Nodding vigorously, Sasha pounces on him, a still frame of blurry pizza and pink ribbon as giggles and whispers are heard faintly behind it.

**

Erwin folds his hands under his chin, inhaling slowly as Hanji draws up a chair right next to him, flipping through papers with a toothpick tucked in the corner of her mouth. She clicks her tongue, Erwin blinking slowly as Levi looks over an Excel sheet. Petra comes through the conference room door with a small tray of coffee mugs, half-smiling. Mike Zacharius (History teacher) follows short behind her, sniffling and grinning smugly.

"The numbers are exactly what I thought."

Petra sets down the mugs and wrinkles her forehead. "Uh oh…"

"I'm amazed we can afford Homecoming at all, if I'm being completely honest," Hanji sighs. 

"The last thing we want to suffer is our actual cirriculum," Erwin clucks. "There had to be cuts somewhere. With our budget, we just can't…"

"Not without being unfair," Levi affirms. Petra settles down next to him, hands in her lap. "It wouldn't be right to cut funding for only some clubs and extra-cirriculars."

Mike scratches his nose, frowning. "Spring Formal is such a big event for the underclassmen, though."

"They'd have more of a fit if we told them we couldn't have choir or cheerleading."

"Levi's right," Erwin admits. "We're cutting Spring Formal. And if the class of 2013 wants to have prom--we're going to have to cancel the senior trip."

A hushed, tired "fuck" escapes Levi's throat and Petra's shoulders drag. Mike shoots Hanji a pleading look, but she shakes her head.

"Rumors have already been flying around," she tried. "The kids are a lot more aware than we give them credit for!--I'm sure they're expecting this. They know we aren't doing so well…"

Erwin picks at the skin around his ring finger and clears his throat. "Right. Hanji will make the official announcement tomorrow morning. That's all I have for you today, friends, you're free to go--"

Mike and Hanji get up immediately and exit. Levi and Petra both take their time rising, but Erwin gestures for them to stay put.

"Not you two. I actually have a favor to ask the two of you."

Levi's eyes darken, but Petra smiles gently. "What do you need?"

"Chaperones."

"Oh, _Christ_ \--"

"Levi, you haven't chaperoned a dance in _three years_ \--"

He sneers at the camera. "Exactly."

"I would have asked Gunther, but his grandfather is having surgery that weekend. I'd rather him not have to worry about rowdy teenagers when he's already got so much on his plate...Erd and Mike will both be out of town, and Hanji has a science fair to prepare for--so I'm asking both of you."

"I'd be glad to," Petra complies. Her face is a little pink. "I've never been asked to chaperone a dance, so--it'll be fun, I'm sure."

"Fine," grunts Levi. 

"Perfect." Erwin smiles brightly. "I'm sure you'll have nothing to worry about. Thank you."

"Sure, Erwin," Petra grins and promptly leaves the conference room with a bounce in her step. Levi shifts uncomfortably in his chair and finally gets up, but Erwin is still settled.

"You could do me another favor, Levi, by trying to have a good time."

"Right." He pushes his dark hair out of his eyes and makes way for the door. "Chaperoning Homecoming is usually a one-man job, by the way."

"I know, obviously."

Levi faces him, a sarcastic grin flashing across his face. His eye twitches ever so slightly and he says, "I know what you're playing at here, Erwin. I appreciate it, but we both know I don't need this."

The blonde man's face is suddenly stony and his voice drops in tone. "I'm not usually wrong about what you need, my friend."

"Tch." He turns on his heel and opens the door in one swift movement, leaving the principal to roll his eyes and continue mulling over paperwork.

**

A small, red Nissan pulls up to a coffee shop on Fifth Avenue. Mikasa parks, steps out of the driver's seat in a black sweater dress and her red scarf, and the camera follows her inside. She walks over to a table by the windows and sits with Eren and Armin, who've already ordered. Armin pushes a grilled cheese sandwich across the table to her and she starts eating wordlessly.

"So have you two found Homecoming dates?" Armin asks. The two of them point to each other.

"Really? Again?"

"Jean asked her at lunch," Eren starts, plainly annoyed, taking a huge bite from his chicken melt. "She said she was going with me--so she wouldn't have to directly say no."

Mikasa grunts out an empty "sorry, Eren" and takes a sip of his iced tea.

"I wasn't gonna go at all, but now I guess I have to," he snaps. Mikasa half-laughs.

"You'll have a good time, you always do," she says matter-of-factly. "Anyway. What about you, Armin? Who have you asked?"

Armin looks anxiously at the camera man and the picture cuts to a close-up of Armin in a quiet corner of the cafe. He shifts his shoulders and his mouth is turned up in an awkward smile. 

"I haven't…asked anyone," he admits shyly. "I went with Mikasa and Eren last year, but this year I wanted to have a date, and…"

Cut to Mikasa sipping at Eren's iced tea again. He snatches it back from her and takes a long gulp of it. "Just come with us! We can just go together."

"Eren," Mikasa starts, tugging his sleeve. "I think it's important to Armin to have a date this year."

She looks at him interestedly, her usually dim eyes light and narrow. "Aren't I right? Who do you have in mind?"

**

Timestamp: OCT 12 3:01PM. The student parking lot. In her usual white sweatshirt and messy bun, Annie walks up to her car, blowing out cigarette smoke. Armin scurries over to her as she tosses her book bag in the trunk, huffing and puffing.

"Annie!"

"Armin," she says softly, taking another puff. 

"Annie," he breathes, hugging his books to his chest. "H-How are you?"

"Fine, I guess," she answers honestly, eyeing him curiously. "What's up."

"I uh--" he looks nervously at the camera man, hiding behind the bushes on the perimeter. He tousles his hair and shrugs, laughing hollowly. "I just wanted to know if--Homecoming is Friday, and--would you like…to go with me?"

"Oh." Annie blinks, seeming a little incredulous. Her eyes drop to the ground for a moment. "You wanted me to be your date?"

Armin nods vigorously, smiling wide. "Yes! Yes! I mean--if you want to--"

"I'm sorry Armin," she cuts him off, crushing her cigarette under her foot. "Bertolt Hoover already asked me. I said…"

There's a short moment of quiet as Armin's face falls. "Oh," he mutters, swaying on the spot. He doesn't seem too surprised, but his eyes are suddenly heavy. "Okay. Well--I--I guess I'll see you both there?"

She plays with the hair in her eyes and nods. "Sure, Armin."

He straightens up and turns away, and she gets in the driver's seat, starting up the engine. He's almost at the other end of the parking lot when she drives up alongside him and rolls down her window.

"Armin."

He blinks, confused, and she furrows her brow. "I really am…sorry."

For a moment, he doesn't look like he knows what she means, but then he nods, smiling half-heartedly and waving, and she drives off without any further word. He sighs, pressing his lips together in frustration. He kicks an empty Coke can and rushes to the sidewalk.

**

The TV in Jean's room is on the Channel 5 News, but it's muted. His laptop is at his desk, a Word document opened, but blank. He's laying spread-eagled on his bed with Marco Bott sitting on the floor, filling in the blanks to their French homework. The timestamp reads OCT 13 7:16PM.

"Mina Carolina?" Marco asks, but Jean groans dramatically. "Okay--Sasha?"

"Going with Connie." Jean rolls over and shoves his face in a pillow.

"Annie?"

"Bertolt."

"Christa?"

"That's awkward, I don't really talk to her."

"But she's really pretty," Marco beams.

"She's probably already been asked," Jean argues. "Besides, she's not really my type."

"Right. Black hair. Tall. Hey--" Marco gets up, wearing a teasing grin but Jean shoves his shoulder.

"Oh shut it, Marco. You know, forget it. Let's just--go to Homecoming like this."

"Go together?" Marco looks very amused, but Jean throws a pillow at him. 

"Shut up. But--technically yes? I guess. Unless you've got a date that you're not telling me about."

Marco shakes his head and tosses the pillow back. "No. I didn't want one. I just wanted to be there with you."

Jean gives an exaggerated roll of the eyes and humphs. "Yeah, yeah. Just promise me you'll actually dance this time? You sat by the snack table the entire time last year--"

"The punch was really good," Marco defends himself, chuckling. "And I was a little shy last year. It was my first dance, I was nervous."

"Well, don't be this time, okay?" Jean protests. He sits at his desk and starts typing away on that blank document, his back to the camera. 

Marco crawls over to it and puts his face really close in the lens, grinning madly. He mouths, "I'm going to Homecoming with Jean!" He points enthusiastically behind his shoulder and gives a thumbs-up.

**

"So who're you going with, Christa?"

The pretty, petite blonde hangs a green dress back on the rack, caught off guard. She shakes her head dismissively, hair falling in her eyes. Mikasa comes up behind her and thumbs across a few dresses on the rack.

"Oh come on!" Sasha begs, ponytail swinging around. "I'm sure it's nobody embarrassing!"

Christa mumbles and darts to a different rack, with only black dresses on it. Mikasa follows her and asks, "Are you just going without a date?"

"No," Christa snorts. "It's just--it's complicated."

"You're either going to Homecoming alone or with somebody," Sasha points out, touching a frilly pink dress. "What's complicated about it?"

"Nothing, it's just--" 

The tall, dark haired girl from homeroom--Ymir--walks into the dress shop by herself, Annie and Mina Carolina strolling in side-by-side behind her. Ymir spots Christa and smirks at her, then makes a beeline for the back of the shop. Christa looks worriedly at the camera man, who swings focus to Annie instead. Mina talks excitedly in her ear and Annie just nods, smiling intermittently as they start browsing.

"Oh, Ymir is here?" Sasha asks rather loudly. "I didn't know she was going! I wonder who asked her?"

Before she has time to ask the other two what they think, Sasha sees Mikasa pick up a very slinky red dress and sucks in a very deep breath. "OH SHIT, MIKASA! Get that one!"

Cheeks turning red, Mikasa scoffs at her. "Oh, Sasha, I couldn't--"

"NO, you have to, it's super hot!"

Christa tears her gaze away from the girl across the shop and eyes the dress, smiling encouragingly. "Sasha's right, you should at least try it on, Mikasa."

Mikasa bashfully slinks to the other side of the floor to the dressing room and Sasha follows almost immediately, taking the pink dress with her. Christa waits till they're out of earshot and waves Ymir over, who ducks around the racks in her direction.

"H-Hey," she mumbles. Ymir giggles. 

"Sorry," she starts, "I didn't know you guys were going today."

"No, no," Christa says right away. "I didn't either actually, but I had promised I'd come."

"Find anything yet?" Ymir inquires, slyly eyeing the black dresses. Christa's eyes are glued to the floor. "Well, I found something pretty. I'm gonna go grab it and try it on."

"Text me a picture?"

"As long as you do the same." Ymir winks at her and hurries back to the other section. Annie and Mina are at the checkout counter--Annie bites at her thumb, but Mina looks extremely pleased. The two leave with their purchases and Christa picks up a cute black tea dress, looking thoughtful.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the hits and the kudos <3

Forest green and silver balloons and streamers deck the hallway to the gymnasium; glitter on the floor and twinkling fairy lights set the mood for a jovial, unbothered evening of tropical punch and top 40 hits blaring through the school. The clack-clack of Petra's heels echo down an empty corridor and Auruo's sudden presence brings her to a halt. She scoffs as he gives her a long once-over, setting his broom aside.

"Well, Miss Ral, you're looking annoyingly pretty tonight," he snickers. She turns her nose up at him.

"Thanks, I guess," she replies, awkward. She takes off her shawl, revealing a silvery grey tea dress. Her neck is lean and a thin locket sits daintily between her collarbones. "Tell Levi I'm setting up the snack table, please? He's on his way."

Auruo wrinkles his nose and nods. "Yeah, sure. If you need anything else, I'll be out here--sweeping up glitter and shit."

"I appreciate it," she says politely, and waves at the students taking tickets. Levi appears a good ways behind her, in a dark grey suit with his hair pushed back. He nods curtly to Auruo, already visibly irritated by this atmosphere, and enters the gym. The girls at the ticket table giggle as he passes.

"Damn, he cleaned up nice tonight," one girl mutters, blushing slightly. Her friend fiddles with the money box.

"He should keep his hair like that, it's hot."

Someone is heard clearing their throat and the focus switches to Annie Leonhart, her arm looped lazy in Bertolt Hoover's. She unzips her jacket and hands a ten dollar bill to the girls. "Where should we put our coats?"

"There's a rack set up in the back of the gym," one of them answers, eyeing Bertolt, who clumsily waves. Annie nods and guides her very tall date inside. Reiner follows them closely.

Cut to wide-shot of the refreshments table. Timestamp: OCT 19 7:22PM. Students are still filing into the gymnasium, hanging their coats up, forming clusters of familiar friends in various spots on the floor. A rainbow assortment of disco lights bounce on the walls and the collapsed bleachers as kids line up to request songs. Jean comes up to the punch bowl with Marco at his side. The music's booming and they're yelling just to hear each other.

"I'm just saying," Marco goes on, pouring punch, "you need to relax! They're practically siblings, you have no reason to feel intimidated--"

"Whoa, whoa," Jean interrupts him, grabbing a cup, "Whoa whoa whoa. Who said I was intimidated? I didn't say I was _intimidated_ \--"

"Jean, you're totally intimidated," Marco smirks. "Don't even play--"

"I am _not_ intimidated, not by Eren fuckin' Yeager," he insists, and downs his cup of punch in one gulp. "I was just saying that they have a really--"

"Interesting relationship." Cut to Annie, in a red chair in the library. Timestamp: NOV 17 12:12PM. "Well, the three of them do--them and Armin--but the two of them especially are very strange. It's almost awkward. You'd think they were fucking if you didn't know that she's his sister…adopted sister." She pauses for a moment, then looks at the camera dead on, somber. "It's a sad story, actually. I don't think I'm at liberty to share."

Mikasa and Eren are seen following Armin to the snack table. Jean goes stiff, his hands going to his forehead while Marco chortles and helps himself to the cheese cubes. He mutters "it's fine" and turns to meet the small group, who all look happy--save for Eren, who's sporting his usual grumpy expression, eyes sharp.

Marco holds his hand out for Armin, who clasps it and grins. "Hey, you guys look good!"

"Thanks!"

Mikasa, clearly unsure in her scarlet red getup just blushes and Eren nods appreciatively, scratching his collar. Armin asks the two of them if they want a drink, but they both shake their heads. 

"I need some _food_ , we were too busy getting ready to eat dinner," Eren grunts, and he pops two finger sandwiches in his mouth. He shoots a dark look at Mikasa, who sighs and excuses herself to greet her other friends. Jean makes a noise like he's choking on something and Marco scolds him, leaving Eren very confused while Armin looks knowingly at the camera. He pushes past Eren and lays a hand on Jean's arm.

"You know, you should really ask her to dance at some point tonight," he says, hushed, while Marco starts making small talk with Eren. 

Jean moans into his paper cup and waves him off. He clicks his tongue at Marco and they run off to get in line for song requests. Eren furrows his brow. With his mouth full he asks, "What, what's up?"

"Nothing, nothing--let's go find Mikasa."

** 

Close shot of Christa in her bathroom, leaning forward over the counter, coating her lashes in mascara slowly, carefully, her mouth awkwardly agape. Faint giggling is heard from behind the camera and Christa just grunts. She finishes applying cautiously and blinks at her reflection a few times, uncertain. 

"It looks fine," the voice (a girl's, Ymir?) behind the camera says. The blonde sighs sarcastically.

"Just fine?"

The camera gets put down, maybe on Christa's bed--it isn't clear--but now only the girls' torsos are seen, Christa in black and (ah, it is her) Ymir, in white. Her arms wrap around Christa's back and it's unclear who says it, but "you're beautiful" is barely audible. They stand like that for two, three minutes, according to the time on the recorder, and then Christa takes the camera, giving it a strange look before it cuts to a wide shot of the gymnasium. 

The timestamp reads OCT 19 8:18PM. The shiny colored spots from the party lights are dancing on the bodies of the students, packed onto the dance floor in a sea of sweaty dress shirts and messy salon hair. A smooth, catchy beat bumps through the speakers and Annie swings her hips in front of Bertolt, who brushes his forehead every twenty seconds. He's smiling, though, looking totally content as Annie holds his hands and sways to the rhythm, leaning against him just enough. Reiner is in front of her, swaying along and talking loudly at Bertolt, who nods assuringly time to time. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are a few bodies in front of them, swaggering in a tiny circle, laughing and wobbling and Mikasa seems to be the only one who can keep a proper tempo. Eren's face is significantly bright and he laughs very loudly. Armin glances over Eren's shoulder and notices Annie and says something in Mikasa's ear and makes his way over to the bleachers, where a few people are either resting their feet or making out in the darker corner. 

Eren mouths "what happened?" to Mikasa but she whispers in his ear and he rolls his eyes. She moves to where Annie is and taps her on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Annie, um, may I steal Bertolt for a bit?" She looks at her pleadingly and blinks in surprise when the blonde girl nods and immediately moves away. Reiner winks at his friend, who doesn't seem to mind at all that Mikasa is now dancing very closely to him. Annie scans the crowd for a split second before going to the refreshment table. 

Armin hesitates, considering moving to get up from the bleachers, but he looks almost rooted to the spot. He can see Annie pouring herself juice and bites his lip. He quickly rises, but sits right back down again. Jean comes into view, looking exasperated.

"Hey--"

"Jean, hey," Armin returns, watching Annie sip slowly at her punch.

"Have you been dancing?" Jean asks, sounding almost surprised. Armin shrugs and gives a breathless chuckle.

"Yeah, I--I've been on the floor with Eren and Mikasa for--"

"Mikasa's out there?" he prompts, whirling around. "I haven't seen her…"

"Are you gonna dance with her?"

"She looks busy," Jean grunts, noticing. 

Armin looks back at Annie, who's moving back to the dance floor where Bertolt is. He feels himself get up again, but sighs. She talks into Mikasa's ear and the darker-haired girl smiles politely and moves away. He looks to Jean.

"I don't think she's busy anymore," he says, half-smiling. "You should go ask her to dance, Jean."

Jean's forehead wrinkles in worry, but Armin tugs at his sleeve. "Go on, Jean. I'm sure she won't mind just one dance."

Cut to a shot of Levi leaning against one of the coat racks, overseeing the mess of horny teenagers in front of him, grinding on each other, making out in dark corners where they don't think he can see. He shifts his weight and glances at his watch. It's not even eight-thirty. Sighing, he starts making another circle around the perimeter, eyes darting here to there. A group of his French students are resting on the bleachers and they wave at him, spitting out flirty hellos and whispering to each other. He looks at the camera, exasperated.

"I wish they'd shut up."

**

Very wide shot of the dance floor, timestamp reading OCT 19 8:31PM. Jean is in focus, with Mikasa's arms around his shoulders, his hands resting comfortably on her hips. It's dark, but as the shot zooms in, he's visibly blushing. She either isn't noticing or isn't caring--she nods as he talks, interested, alert--happy?--it's unclear, but the boy is grinning, laughing.

"I still haven't danced with anyone." Cutaway to Marco, who's smiling helplessly, holding what's probably his fourth cup of punch. "Jean'll be upset with me. I don't mind though--I'm just glad he finally did it."

Behind him, in the far right corner of the gym, Bertolt helps Annie get into her coat. Reiner holds the door open for them and they leave, the three of them together. Armin comes in close to the shot.

"Marco, um--have you seen Annie?"

Cut to a medium close-up of Eren, at the refreshments table again. He's picking at cheese cubes and salami slices, waving to students as they pass him. Mikasa appears behind him, reaching over his shoulder for a finger sandwich. There's maybe two left. She almost swallows it whole.

"How was Jean?" he jabs, mouth full.

"Fine," she says airily. 

"I can't believe you danced with him," he laughs, downing a small cup of juice. 

"It's not a big deal, Eren," she tells him. "There's not much punch left…"

"So? Go tell Petra."

Cutaway to a noddy shot of Petra, illuminated by the rainbow lights. She's clutching a glass of punch and the timestamp reads OCT 19 7:09PM. "First names? Yeah, we--we let the kids use our first names, if they want to. We try to focus on treating the kids like adults. Erwin says that allowing them to address us by first names gives them responsibility." She nods rapidly, but doesn't seem too certain.

Another medium shot of Eren and Mikasa. She looks tenser then in the previous segment. "You don't have to be so cold to him, you know."

"Uh, what?" he looks quizzical. "Since when do you care? Jean and I never liked each other."

"Yeah. For no reason at all." she asks, and Eren just shrugs. "Whatever. At least one of you was a gentleman tonight."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" he snaps at her, but she rolls her eyes and moves off screen. Jean and Armin come into the shot and Eren barks at him.

"Hey! What's with you, Jean?!"

Armin raises his eyebrows, perplexed, and Jean moves in to shove him. "Why the hell are you getting loud with me?!"

"The fuck'd you say to Mikasa?"

"Fuck off, Eren, I only danced with her!" Jean defended himself, and Armin came between them.

"Whoa, guys, chill--"

"She doesn't even _like_ you, Jean, leave her alone--"

"Guys, seriously--"

"Is there a problem here, Armin?" Petra appears, worried. The boys step farther away from each other and Armin shakes his head assuringly.

"No, nothing--"

"Goddamn you, Eren--"

"Language, Jean," Petra scolds him. "Calm it down, guys, don't make me get Levi."

Eren flips his middle finger at Jean and heads for the bleachers. Petra considers Jean, who runs a hand through his hair.

"He's just being the usual loud-ass bastard he is," he explains, and the redhead exhales slowly.

"If he gets loud with you again, just tell me, okay?" she says pleasantly, and the camera follows her to the opposite end of the gym, where Levi is resting against the wall.

"How's everything?"

"Dull, to be frank," he says dryly. "No fights, nothing inappropriate enough to reprimand--what a boring Homecoming."

"I should have let Eren have at Jean, then," she jokes, leaning beside him. He narrows his eyes, rankled. 

"They fought again?"

"I might have Eren come meet with me sometime soon," she admits. "He worries me...He's a very…"

"Tumultuous, indignant, embittered brat?"

"Levi!"

Levi shifts his weight and looks out onto the dance floor. Cutaway to Eren with Mikasa at his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. "It would do him good."

Petra tries to meet his eyes, but he's fixated on them, the two kids, calming each other. She follows his gaze and they're in focus again--Mikasa leans up and Eren pushes hair out of her eyes. 

"Do you think so?"

The next sentence seems hard for him to say. He looks at the floor, picking at his thumb and finally says, "It did for me, don't you agree?"

She studies him curiously, a light blush spreading across her cheeks. She beams at him and jerks her head toward the floor. "Levi…would you?"

He eyes her, softly, the lines around his face easing as Bonnie Tyler's voice starts booming through the speakers. Petra giggles.

"Total Eclipse of the Heart."

"Your love of 80s pop astounds me."

"Your lack thereof astounds me," she returns. Her face is redder now. "Anyway…would you--dance with me, Levi?"

The corner of his mouth turns upward just barely enough to be noticeable and falls back quickly. "Lead the way."

**

Students pass in front of the camera, swinging their coats around their shoulders as Ymir and Christa are blurred in the shot. They don't come into focus for another two minutes as the time marker hits 9:49PM. Dark hair falls around Ymir's eyes and brushes Christa's cheeks as she whispers to her, Christa nodding and playing with her friend's (friend?) fingers. Extreme close-up on their hands, fumbling and twirling together, freckles and birthmarks, a manicure and calloused palms. They stay like that as more and more students leave, and when the marker hits 9:58, they rise, the shot zooming out as they find their coats and leave, separately, three minutes apart. Ymir gives the gym a full scan before saying goodnight to Petra and Levi.

"A good night? Yeah--yeah I'd say it was a good night," Petra's voice is heard as she's shown clearing the refreshment table. She folds up the green tablecloth and picks up the plates, attempting to carry everything in one go, but Levi stops her, taking the punch bowl and a few party plates as she inaudibly thanks him. They grab their jackets, drop off the dishes in the cafeteria, and Levi helps her get into her coat as they leave the building together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i now desperately need to see art of everyone at a car wash? oops. also if you don't think modern day annie would use the term "thirsty" i really don't know what to tell you

Timestamp: OCT 25 1:16PM, Levi's office. He's mulling over a stack of French work, pen sticking out the corner of his mouth. Marco knocks on his door even though it's open. He looks up at the boy dully.

"Marco? If you wanted to help me grade homework, you're a bit late. I'm almost done."

He chuckles half-heartedly. "Actually, sir, I wondered if I could ask a favor?"

He quirks a sharp eyebrow. "A favor?"

A smile cracks beneath freckles. "It involves cleaning products. Lots of them."

Swiveling around in his chair, Levi cocks his head to the side, taking the pen from his mouth. "Go on."

**

Close-up on a pair of navy blue double-doors, Room 101 at the end of the west hallway. Choir and Orchestra. The doors open--a slender, pretty woman with brown hair greets the videographer. 

"Hi, welcome to third period!" 

A group of familiar students are resting against the wall opposite the mirrored one--some laughing, some on the verge of falling asleep, a girl with "Hitch" embroidered onto her shirt applying mascara, Christa and Ymir whispering and smiling. Sasha and Mikasa sit by each other, sharing apple slices and carrot sticks.

The brunette--the teacher, as assumed (Anka Rheinberger, apparently), calls to them: "Okay, food away, food away, everybody up for warm-ups!"

Cutaway to a close shot of Anka perched at the piano. It's a different day, and the room is probably empty otherwise. "I honestly didn't think there'd be so many kids interested in choir, but they love it!"

Anka shows off a sizable display case filled with trophies, ribbons, and framed pictures of past choir members. There are several plaques from just the last three years, but a good handful are from the year before, 2011-2012.

"This year's sophomores are my golden children," she boasts, grinning madly as she opens up the case. She pulls out a framed picture of Mikasa, Annie, Armin, and Christa, with Ymir, Bertolt, Marco, and Sasha behind them, all donned in choir robes. "I know teachers aren't supposed to pick favorites--but it happens anyway doesn't it? They're my little a cappella group. They placed first in five different contests last year, the same year our choir as a whole won first place in a regional competition. We rely heavily on fundraisers and competition winnings, so…it's really special."

"Alright, everybody, Halloween's over, so you know what that means!"

Several students groan, but a few brighten up. Sasha starts tapping Mikasa's knees and Armin and Marco beam at each other. Hitch's arm shoots up in the air, her freshly coated eyelashes blinking rapidly.

"Are we repeating last year's holiday routine?" she grumbles, thoroughly unenthused. Anka shakes her head and fumbles around with a pile of sheet music.

"Nope, Erwin requested back in August that I put a brand new holiday lineup together, so that we could take it to compete in December."

Bubbles of confused chatter pop across the room and Mikasa chips, "We can afford to compete this year?"

Anka nods, almost teary-eyed. "Yes! Well, almost. We have a little over half of what we need to enter--which brings me to what I need from you all. I have a very important assignment for you. We can compete only if we figure this out..."

**

Eren is grabbing books (World History II and his notebook for ecology) out of his locker on OCT 22 8:57AM, when Petra suddenly appears at his side, smiling brightly, eagerly. He slams it shut and exhales heavily.

"Good morning, Eren," she chats. He's tense, his eyes searching her, anticipating his scolding. He knows she hasn't forgotten about his acting out at Homecoming.

"Hi, Petra," he tests, but she doesn't seem threatening. She hugs an oversized pink binder to her chest and leans against the lockers.

"Do you have anything vitally significant going on during today's free time?" she prompts. He swallows visibly, the obvious lie trying to form itself on the spot, but she's too smart for that. "If it's not inconvenient, Eren, I'd like to have a brief one-on-one with you--thirty minutes at most."

It's not a request, despite her sweet demeanor and calming voice. Eren nods with apprehension and mutters, "Yeah, yeah, no problem."

Petra smiles gently. "Great, come right at the start of free period and you'll be out by one, I promise."

She nips on past him and Eren's shoulders sag. Mikasa pads over and opens her locker, reading him oddly before asking, "Eren--are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," he answered shortly. 

"Well, let's go, Moblit will write us up if we're late again."

Cut to a medium shot of Mikasa, her mouth barely visible over her scarf, black hair twirling in the wind. "They've just never liked each other. They got into a fight the first day of school in 9th grade, and it's never gotten better between them."

"Eren's kind of a hothead," Marco says affectionately. The screen cuts to a wide shot of the courtyard; Eren and Mikasa and Armin are resting in the gazebo, taking down notes, books open. The timestamp reads SEPT 4 12:47PM. "Jean is, too, and they just don't mesh. I think Jean first got mad at Eren because he was jealous of him and Mikasa--he still is, I think--and they just found more things they didn't like and it just…escalated from there, I think? It's a shame. They're both good guys, once you get to know them."

"They just won't give each other a chance," Mina's voice says, over the shot of the gazebo. "They're both well-liked, they have a lot of the same friends, like Armin, but they just…don't get along. Like, they refuse to."

**

"I'm not so sure this is going to work…"

Timestamp: OCT 25 12:34PM. Bertolt twirls one thumb over his other and shrinks into his chair. Annie checks him quickly, half-lidded eyes cushioned by dark circles. "Bertolt's right. We're not Girl Scouts. Nobody's gonna buy cookies off of teenagers."

"Selling candy bars would be a great idea if it didn't mean that we'd spend a lot of money buying them in the first place," Marco admits helplessly. Mikasa shrugs next to him.

"We have to think of something to do that doesn't involve redistributing product…Are there any contests coming up between now and December 7th that offer cash prizes?"

Armin shuts his laptop. "There's one next Saturday that offers five-hundred, but it's at an 18+ bar."

"We could ask for donations?" Sasha suggests, totally lost. "We could hold an impromptu show next weekend and see how much we can raise from that, like charge a low admission and set up a donation box?"

"Who would donate after they'd already paid admission?" Bertolt wonders innocently, rubbing his arm. 

"Hey, there are still generous people in the world," Christa scolds him, but Ymir doesn't seem expectant.

"But will there be _enough_ generous people, is the question," she says. "Look, the impromptu show is a great idea, but it's only a start. There can't be just one thing that we do. We should come up with more ideas and then split up into committees and carry them out. So, Sasha, since the show was your idea, you can go ahead and organize it."

Sasha looks completely flabbergasted, but Mikasa touches her arm. "Don't worry Sasha. I'll help out. I'm sure other choir members are interested."

"Great, so you guys can do that...how about you guys? What are you thinking?"

Marco's cheeks glow a light shade of magenta. "Um, this is probably reaching, and the weather isn't exactly ideal for this, but…how about a car wash?"

Annie furrows her brow. "A car wash."

"Yeah, we could hold it right in the parking lot, put up flyers at the mall and some shops downtown," he proposes. "The cheer squad holds one every spring and they usually manage to rake in a lot of money…"

"Yeah, because it's the cheer squad, and they're all disgustingly hot," Annie confesses bitterly. "They have thirsty wannabes lining up to give them their parents' money. How much could we possibly make with a choir car wash in early November?"

"I think it's worth a shot," Bertolt chirps. "I mean, we could get non-members to help out, couldn't we? We're organizing it, so we can make the rules."

Armin flips open his laptop again and does a quick weather check. "Next Friday is supposed to reach a high of 67…it's not exactly swimsuit weather, but we could manage for the afternoon?"

"You want to do this, Armin?" Annie softens, reviewing him gently. He stammers.

"W-Well, I don't have any other ideas right now, so, yes, I'll do it! We should ask some other people if they're okay with volunteering!"

"Could we ask some teachers if they wanted to help?" Marco asks suddenly. The others eyeball him curiously.

"Wait--what?" Mikasa fumbles. "You mean--"

"Okay, don't freak out, but our teachers are like…hot?" He's blushing fiercely now, but has a burning excitement in his stare. "Like, if we could get, say, Anka to help wash the cars, it could attract more customers?"

Ymir snickers. "You know, Hanji would totally help. Maybe even Petra."

"Or Gunther, or Levi," Sasha adds hungrily, elbowing Mikasa who starts blushing just as badly as Marco.

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate for them?" Armin worries, but Annie shrugs. 

"I don't think they'd join us in wearing swimsuits...But I'm sure they would help if we asked."

"I hope to God they do," Sasha mutters, but Mikasa clears her throat loudly.

"Okay. So we have a show, and a car wash. Ymir, you and Christa need to be in charge of something."

The blonde gawks at Ymir, but she dismisses it. "Yeah. We'll think of something. You guys do your thing--we'll help out. But we'll come up with another thing on our own."

Armin starts fretting. "I know it seems like we have a while, but we don't have a lot of time to--"

"Don't worry about it," Ymir affirms. "Honestly, we got this. Let's roll with what we have now, okay? We'll come up with something by Monday, I promise."

The others seem to agree, so Ymir excuses herself, leaving Christa unsettled at the table. The other girls exchange goodbyes and Armin rests his elbows on the table.

"I'll start making flyers--we'll put them up tomorrow after school. In the meantime, you guys should find more people to help. We should probably ask five more people, but it's okay if we have a little more."

Bertolt seems uncertain, but Marco starts oozing confidence. "Yeah, got it. We can handle it." 

Armin breathes relievedly and the boys follow him out of the room, Bertolt glancing back warily at the camera man.

**

It's quiet enough to hear a pin drop in Petra's office. The shot is a static medium of her and the back of Eren, relaxing in arm chairs, having a whist yet strained discussion. They'd probably already been talking for a while; it's hard to tell when exactly the film was cut, but the clock behind her reads 12:49.

"So why, exactly, do you think you get angry about Jean's feelings toward Mikasa, Eren?"

Eren's shoulders sag and he releases a heavy breath. "Petra, I just can't stand him. He pisses me off."

"Eren, do you have feelings about Mikasa? Is that why?"

"No!" Eren almost cuts her off, but brings it down a notch quickly. "No, no. We're like siblings. We live together, that'd be so awkward. It's not like I get mad when other guys talk to her."

"Just Jean, then?"

"Yeah I guess. He's just a douchebag."

Petra smiles helplessly. "Eren. You're at liberty to think what you want about your peers. I won't make you form friendships that you don't want. But I really have to insist that you do everything possible to keep from starting trouble at school, okay? You have quite a few write-ups and I don't want you to get suspended over something silly like a fight that won't matter a month from now."

He pauses, shifting in his seat. "Yeah."

"We like you, Eren," she says gently. "The whole staff does. You're a good kid. You're a bit hotheaded, and you could stand to try harder in your schoolwork--but you're a good person. You just get a little out of control sometimes. So all I ask is that next time you feel like you're too upset about something…"

"Yeah," he confirms. "Yeah, I'll come find you."

"Thank you," she tweets happily. "This was a good talk. You're free to go, Eren."

"Thanks, Petra." Eren moves off screen and there's a cut to the lounge. Levi is settled in his usual spot at the small round table by the coffee maker. Petra puts coins into the vending machine and a bottle of green tea plummets down.

"So. How was it."

"Oh, it went well," she starts casually. "Eren seems to have--"

"That's not what I meant."

Freezing on the spot, Petra studies him, puzzled. "Levi, I--"

"Friday. How was it." He doesn't look at her, doesn't even move in his seat, just sips at his thermos in the most nonchalant, absent manner. Petra twists the cap on her tea slowly and moves to sit down by him.

"Well. You were there, weren't you? What do you think?"

"I'm asking you."

She stares agape, fiddling with her cap before taking a short sip. "Why do you ask? Have you been thinking about it?"

"Why else would I ask, of course I've been thinking about it," he almost snaps, nonplussed. "I haven't _stopped_ thinking about it...About what _you've_ been thinking about it."

"I haven't stopped thinking about it either," she reveals, trying to meet his face, but he still won't look at her.

"That's what I was afraid of." Levi presses a hand to his temple and she scoots closer to him.

"You don't have to be."

"Petra. I don't want you to misunderstand."

"I won't, if you actually explain."

He rises up suddenly, regarding her dolefully before striding to the door. "Later."

She looks dejected, but doesn't even call after him. Her bottle is still half full when she leaves it on the table and returns to her office.


End file.
